Hearing Better in 2021

“She has a mind of her own.”

That was what I heard my mom say about me as a child.

And what does that mean? At the best, determined, goal-oriented. At the worst, disobedient, uncooperative, stubborn.

I think my mom meant the latter description but always hoped for the best.

Noah has always been such inspirational character to me. God asked him to do the impossible, and more than once the scripture tells us Noah did all God commanded him to do. His story is about obedience. While that word has all kinds of negative connotations, a Latin orgin of the word OBEY actually means “to hear.” When I hear God’s voice, a natural response, then, is to do all that he has asked me to do. I simply obey–not because I’m scared of God but because I’ve HEARD him and know that he wants the best for me.

I loved that kind of student when I taught high school English. I’d teach the concepts and ask my students to do a bit of work so as to demonstrate their understanding. Most of them complied, but there were always a few with minds of their own. I knew those resisters typicaly fell into three categories: (1) bright ones who easily understood the concepts and felt they shouldn’t have to do the work, (2) those who struggled and weren’t sure what to do, and (3) a couple stubborn ones who didn’t want to do any work at all. In all cases I’d figure out a way to help and convince them that graduation was important, LOL.

I think about those students when I find myself not doing what I know is good for me: eating healthier and exercising more consistently. And then I am thankful I don’t have to sit in detention hall for the rest of my life. I can do ALL that God has commanded me . . . and experience joy and freedom from these struggles with simple, moment-by-moment choices.

Today I choose to be better in 2021 . . . and that will start with #lookingup.

Janet McHenry is a speaker and author of 24 books, six of those on prayer–including the bestselling PrayerWalk and her newest, The Complete Guide to the Prayers of Jesus. She would love to connect with you on social media or here: https://www.janetmchenry.com. #pray #prayer #lookingup #prayers #justpray #needprayer #PrayLikeJesus #PrayersofJesus #PrayerWalk#walkandpray #PrayerStreaming #praywithoutceasing #PrayerExperiment #answertoprayer #prayerworks#beananswertoprayer #PrayerChangesTeens #DailyPrayerWalk #Bible #Bibleverse #Biblestudy#dailyBibleverse #Bibleteacher #speaker #Christianspeaker #retreatspeaker